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STEM Outreach at Girlstart

Dr. Jennifer Duthie gave an introductory lecture on transportation engineering topics and career paths at a Girlstart Summer Camp on June 25, 2015. Girlstart is a community program located here in Austin, and their goal is to provide strategies, resources, and programs to increase the numbers of young women pursuing education and careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Girlstart Summer Camps are week-long STEM programs for girls entering the 4th through 8th grades. These programs achieve consistently positive outcomes by combining formal and informal educational strategies with challenging and relevant STEM curriculum. In fact, Dr. Duthie noted that the girls were building apps when she arrived. She found the girls had many good questions for her during her presentation, and overall seemed motivated and full of ideas for their future careers. The girls were quite receptive to the material present. Girlstart’s Video Producer Shannon Cloud remarked that “The girls were talking about transportation engineering throughout snack time!”